Live coverage of the countdown, launch and rendezvous of a SpaceX Dragon supply ship for the International Space Station. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
Falcon 9
Falcon 9 succeeds in middle-of-the-night launch and landing
A Japanese communications satellite rode a Falcon 9 rocket into space from Cape Canaveral early Friday, reaching an on-target orbit as the launcher’s first stage booster nailed a high-speed landing on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean, logging another achievement for SpaceX’s cost-cutting reuse initiative.
Falcon 9
New helium tank for SpaceX crew launches still waiting to fly
SpaceX is still working on a new, safer helium tank design needed for launches with astronauts, and the debut of the company’s upgraded Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket earlier this month did not count as one of seven successful missions in “crew configuration” NASA says it requires before putting astronauts aboard the vehicle, officials said Thursday.
